Author Topic: Geraldine Settee - January 1, 1970 - Age 11 - St. Vital/Winnpeg - Murdered  (Read 1556 times)

Desespere

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I got a copy of the Edmonton Journal article published August 34, 1984 - titled  "20 Years of Unsolved Death" that another poster mentioned on this site. There are 120 names in the article and I've begun cross-referencing to see how many remain unsolved.

Geraldine Settee's name is on the list. I've found Geraldine Settee's name on the Winnipeg Police Service unsolved homicide pages. No picture, no link for further information, not even her age - which was 11 years old.

I'm hoping to find more information about Geraldine. The article said she was murdered in Winnipeg but the police site said St. Vital Police are investigating.
http://www.winnipeg.ca/police/Unsolved_Cases/index.stm
« Last Edit: April 26, 2010, 12:12:07 PM by Desespere »

Fraser

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I found a tiny bit on Geraldine Settee. Details of her murder have been kept confidential at the request of the family. The case is unsolved.

http://www.missingnativewomen.ca/native4.html

Desespere

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Out of respect for the family I will not ask for more information. Thank you for the link.

Desespere

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Here is an article I found doing a search of her name today. Please note, the date of her murder is January 1 and this date has been mistakenly posted as Jan 2. Seems there is a suspect and justice has been denied for Geraldine for 40 years.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/01/10/12408491-sun.html

Got away with murder
Girl's death still evokes feelings of justice denied
By BOB HOLLIDAY
Last Updated: 10th January 2010, 4:51am

 Lovely spring will soon be here,

Birds returning bring us cheer'

Welcome spring,

Welcome Spring

Spring was a favourite time of the year for 11-year-old Geraldine Settee and a favourite theme of poetry she loved to write.

Geraldine's poetry writing ended during the evening of Jan. 1, 1970, when she was stabbed to death minutes after she left her St. Vital home to walk to a drugstore to purchase soft drinks and potato chips.

Swanson's Drugs, then located on the southeast corner of Inman Avenue and St. Mary's Road, was less than two blocks from the Settee home at 813 St. Mary's Road. When the young girl arrived about 8:30 p.m., she found the store in darkness so she turned for the short walk home. As she walked past a small bushy area about 35 metres south of Fermor Avenue, St. Vital police believed she was attacked from behind by her killer. Her killer may have even stabbed her before dragging her into the bush, now a parking lot for a fast-food restaurant.

The body of the pretty, wide-eyed girl was found around noon the next day. She had been stabbed six times and may have been alive when left by her assailant, lying unconscious in the snow.

Police were stymied to come up with a motive behind the killing since Settee was liked by all she met since moving to the city from Matheson Island in Lake Winnipeg where he father operated a ship doing government hydrographical survey.

"She was everybody's favourite. To Geraldine, the world was a wonderland. She loved everyone and everything," said older sister, Pat Thomas.

Not random

Geraldine's goal in life was to become a teacher, added Thomas.

Former St. Vital police officers believe the killing was not random.

Even 40 years later, some believe a schoolmate, who has gotten away with murder, targeted Geraldine. Those officers believe her perverted killer taunted police by calling 999 (forerunner to 911) around 11 a.m. Jan 2 to tell authorities where her body could be found. The officers still believe he was the same person who randomly called the family in the years since, and he was most likely the same person who made threatening calls to Geraldine on Dec. 5.

The caller told Geraldine he was a classmate and warned he was "watching her."

Five days after the murder, someone claiming to be the killer called the Settee home and named his next victim, a friend of Geraldine's.

"She's next on my list," was the ominous warning.

Police took the warning to heart and supplied protection for the girl.

"It seems a real kook or screwball is on the loose," said St. Vital Chief Const. Forbes Parker.

Police believe the killer may have staged a couple of practice attacks a week earlier.

In one instance on Dec. 26, a 14-year-old girl was assaulted and threatened with a knife as she walked along a back lane less than a block away from where Settee was killed.

She told police she was forced into a Hull Avenue garage at knifepoint. When she screamed, her youthful attacker ran away.

Some officers believe the attack may have been a case of mistaken identity and the killer thought the girl was actually Geraldine Settee, since the attack took place very close to the Settee home.

Nineteen months later, a 16-year-old classmate of Geraldine was charged with non-capital murder. The charge was laid after the juvenile was arrested for unrelated incidents, but provincial director of prosecutions G. R. Goodman admitted he had been one of the people interviewed in the days following the discovery of the body.

Stunned

One of the officers who originally interviewed the accused still believes political pressure was placed on Chief Parker to curtail the questioning.

"The kid was ready to confess when we were told to stop," said the cop, who is still incensed about curtailment. "We knew we had the right person and we were not allowed to do our jobs."

The officer was one of many who were stunned by the news in June 1972, that the murder charges had been stayed by the Crown.

"Was it more political pressure?" wonders a former cop.

The accused was well known to the community as a bully who was quick to draw a five-inch knife on others, including one incident when he threatened a secretary at Windsor School. An army cadet, he often bragged about killing neighbourhood cats and squirrels.

Geraldine was stabbed with a knife with a five-inch blade. Any of the six wounds could have been fatal.

Has the killer of Geraldine Settee claimed the life of other Winnipeg women over the past 40 years? No one is able to say for sure, but since the main suspect has bragged to several people that he once got away with murder; it is not out of the realm of possibility.

The Sun thanks Aimee Fortier of Manitoba Justice and the staff at the Provincial Archives and Elizabeth Dafoe Library for their co-operation. Bob Holliday may be reached by e-mail at onceuponacrime@shaw.ca.

D1

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Every once in awhile a case shows up that seems to violate everything we believe. We have suspects in other cases who are never brought to justice for one reason or another mostly along the lines of there just wasn't enough evidence to proceed. This seems to be something completely different. A juvie killer protected from prosecution, a military cadet.. Sure would be nice to know who this was and what he went on to become!!


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One of the officers who originally interviewed the accused still believes political pressure was placed on Chief Parker to curtail the questioning.

"The kid was ready to confess when we were told to stop," said the cop, who is still incensed about curtailment. "We knew we had the right person and we were not allowed to do our jobs."

The officer was one of many who were stunned by the news in June 1972, that the murder charges had been stayed by the Crown.

Desespere

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I have heard from a family member about the date being wrong.
My communication back to her contained some questions such as whether there was a suspect etc and she answered me back. I also mentioned the murder details were kept private and she explained why. But before I got the response I did a search, as I have before, and this time the article showed up so I posted that above.

The PM reply I received from the relative stated she didn't mind if I posted the murder remains unsolved but no permissions on the other details.

These details above are now in the public domain so if the relative reads this post, please know I was looking for other sites that had the date wrong and did not expect to find any information on the little girl. Because there was information and the report contained details and a family member was represented, I felt it was okay to post that here.

What I will post is the PM message said the suspect that police were looking at, that nothing ever came of it, has since died. I don't know if it's the same guy as mentioned in the article above.

Chris

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One of the officers who originally interviewed the accused still believes political pressure was placed on Chief Parker to curtail the questioning.

"The kid was ready to confess when we were told to stop," said the cop, who is still incensed about curtailment. "We knew we had the right person and we were not allowed to do our jobs."

The officer was one of many who were stunned by the news in June 1972, that the murder charges had been stayed by the Crown.

"Was it more political pressure?" wonders a former cop.

Why? Gee whiz, you know. This reminds of Texas in the 80's when bleeding heart judges started letting out serial killers and rapists for no good reason. It seems everywhere in the 70's and even 80's there was some kind of trend amung judges over who could shock the public even more.

Tihs mentions political. So who was he? that area is the only area in Winnipeg I know as I have visited someone who lives just down the street. It is a VERY nice area.

Was the son of a judge? Mayor? MPP? Union boss?

So they actually had the nerve to free a killer of an 11 year old girl?

Something tells me this might not have actually been about pedigree, but maybe something even bigger?

If anyone knows more details about this, a former police officer or anything, please post and tell us. I am shocked I never heard this case. It is scary.

D1

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This could be one of the most telling of instances as to what secretly goes on in this country if we were able to find out who was actually involved. Now a days, this much information from the police investigators would never be allowed to get published in the mainstream press. Who was this protected perp with the get out of jail free card?? Chris is right, this could be way bigger than any pedigree would justify and could provide insights into many other unsolved murders.

The response and reaction from the girls relatives so many years later has me puzzled.
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The PM reply I received from the relative stated she didn't mind if I posted the murder remains unsolved but no permissions on the other details.

Why be so quiet and secretive about the details?
« Last Edit: May 25, 2010, 10:40:23 AM by D1 »

Fraser

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Perhaps it is just too painful for the family to have detailed information in the public eye about what this little girl went through. 

Desespere

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There were no details in the PM other than what was revealed in the article I posted above. I have no more knowledge or information than what is already here and the family member has not made me privy to anything else. I posted my reasons for posting the information even though a more recent PM than the date of the article had a family member ask me not to post the details that were in the article. Also, my reasons included I posted the article before I heard from the family member asking me not to post the contents of her PM (which were briefly essentially what was in the article.)
I wanted family member to know my intention is not to go against her wishes but that the information is published and online with information from a family member but not shown here.
It is important for people to know a strong murder suspect has been walking free for a long, long time due to possible political pressure and interference from levels not necessarily connected to the justice system. Justice denied.

D1

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There are really very few details that have publicised about this crime. Des your post and explanation is completely in order. I always wonder in cases like this what the victim would say, what would Jeraldine herself have wanted said or done?

Not only has Justice been denied but the root cause has been left intact to rear its ugly head again in who knows how many other cases? Maybe it is just curiousity but I would almost pay to know who this perp was and what was behind the stay of proceedings???  There is something important yet to be discovered here!
« Last Edit: May 27, 2010, 12:59:50 PM by D1 »

 

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